I have a long shot business opportunity that would require me to work in the financial district. I have visited South Beach and driven around around the city a few times. Any safe good neighborhoods in Miami? Further south east, west, north? Newer gated communities? Good schools? Bike riding areas?
When you refer to Financial District, do you mean Brickell? or Coral Gables?
Coral Gables
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I just realized how sad it is for me that ST is the first place I would ask my relocation question. I need serious intervention ala LarryCalifornia style.
Jackson has a beach?
Living in Miami is like living in an concrete desert, surrounded by angry worker bees, dissatisfied soccer moms, overworked and underpaid civil servants, unsupervised youths, and the plastic wanna-be-a-model pseudo-elite. There are good schools there, if you have $10,000 per year for attendance. The best place to ride your bike is Key Biscayne or your garage.
In the summer it is so hot and humid that even the fish leave.
People don’t live in Miami. They survive in Miami.
Just my opinion.
If you had to survive in Miami, and send your kids to private school, what suburb would you choose?
…or coral gables, south miami (near sunset/cocoplum), coconut grove or the pinecrest area. like martyg wrote, private school is the only way to go, but they’re not cheap. ransom everglades, gulliver prep are top dollar so look into westminster and palmer. i believe palmetto high (which is public) was decent when i lived there but that was many, many moons ago. sunset elem is good for elem level; cannot help in intermediate. you should cross-reference the forums at the city-data website with ST. if you have a family, that source is worth the look.
Just like Jackson, TN except hotter. 
You mean Miami has its very own Casey Jones Village now?
(Spent two miserable years living in Martin and Jackson was the closest ‘big city’ to road trip to)